Travel

05/01/2010

04/26/2010

Shopping in Phnom Penh is a major attraction for most foreigners here and your eyes get to feast on lots of colourful items. You can also derive pleasure from the bargaining that you cannot do in some other countries. Central Market is constructed in 1935-37. It has an interesting shape which makes it like an art-deco building. It is shaped in a cross with a unique central dome. There are four wings housing stalls selling a wide variety of items. Part of it is undergoing renovation for the time being. There is the presence of souvenir merchants hawking everything from T-shirts and postcards to silver curios and kramas. Inside is a dazzling display of jewels and gold. Electronic goods, stationery, secondhand clothes and flowers. The alleys are wide so you will not run the risk of bumping into fellow shoppers and you can browse through the shops at your own pace. The shopkeepers are most willing to give you a discount when you ask for it and most are by and large friendly to the foreigners.

I came across a few flower shops selling flower baskets which my friend explained to me will be bought and given to companies which are newly opened. However, here you do not find wreaths made for funerals. Because I am a flower lover, I just captured this shot to be posted on my site.

09/23/2009

Archaeologists find suspected Trojan war-era couple

Reuters – An undated handout picture shows the remains of a man and a woman believed to have died in 1,200 B.C. …

Tue Sep 22, 8:34 am ET

ANKARA (Reuters) – Archaeologists in the ancient city of Troy in Turkey have found the remains of a man and a woman believed to have died in 1,200 B.C., the time of the legendary war chronicled by Homer, a leading German professor said on Tuesday.

Ernst Pernicka, a University of Tubingen professor of archaeometry who is leading excavations on the site in northwestern Turkey, said the bodies were found near a defense line within the city built in the late Bronze age.

The discovery could add to evidence that Troy's lower area was bigger in the late Bronze Age than previously thought, changing scholars' perceptions about the city of the "Iliad."

"If the remains are confirmed to be from 1,200 B.C. it would coincide with the Trojan war period. These people were buried near a mote. We are conducting radiocarbon testing, but the finding is electrifying," Pernicka told Reuters in a telephone interview.

Ancient Troy, located in the northwest of modern-day Turkey at the mouth of the Dardanelles not far south of Istanbul, was unearthed in the 1870s by Heinrich Schliemann, the German entrepreneur and pioneering archaeologist who discovered the steep and windy city described by Homer.

Pernicka said pottery found near the bodies, which had their lower parts missing, was confirmed to be from 1,200 BC, but added the couple could have been buried 400 years later in a burial site in what archaeologists call Troy VI or Troy VII, different layers of ruins at Troy.

Tens of thousands of visitors flock every year to the ruins of Troy, where a huge replica of the famous wooden horse stands along with an array of excavated ruins. (Writing by Ibon Villelabeitia; Editing by Ralph Boulton)

07/04/2009

I remembered my Turkish gal friends mentioning that most of their Embroidery go to serve as presents for their friends on birthdays, weddings, housewarming etc… What warmth these wonderful pieces of Artwork will bring to their friends’ hearts. The intricate designs reflect the amount of time, sweat and love these ladies put in to complete the crafts. These Embroidery when displayed in houses bring about coziness and a feeling of relaxation. The emotion will be stronger if outside the individual houses grow fruit trees, flowering plants which are the same motifs on the Embroidery work…

Apparently roses are a hot favourite among the Turks. They appear frequently on their Embroidery work and many Turkish mothers like to name their daughters using the word “rose” (Turkish equivalent is ‘gul’). Moreover, the Turks use the natural oils of roses to make lokums ( Turkish delights- they taste chewy!!! like gummy sweets!!!!), to make washing powders, detergents, colognes, hand soaps, lip balms, and other types of cosmetics. When you step into any Turkish house, you can easily smell the fresh fragrance of roses coming to your nose probably not realising what you are smelling is roses!!! Roses contain anti-viral, anti-bacterial properties, able to boost one’s mood and increase passion in one’s heart. Through my recent trip, I got to learn that there is a city called Isparta in Southern Turkey ( near the famous Mediterranean Sea) that grows the “Queen of Flowers”! This “Queen” is the rare species of Damascena Rose or in short, the Damask Rose which is pinky in colour and it contains the highest concentration of natural oils compared to other species of roses in the world. This species only flowers and blooms in late May-early June and the flowers are picked in the morning when the level of natural oils in it is the highest. It can only be found in the Kazanluk Valley in Bulgaria and in Isparta, Turkey. I felt myself very fortunate to be able to visit Isparta in early Summer as this is the only time I will get to see these unique and exquisite flowers!!!! When I set my foot on this land, you can imagine my head spinning ( in a good way) from the fragrant aroma from these blooms, my heart also beating fast due to the excitement from seeing them! I managed to pluck a few blooms and kept them as mementos! They were placed in the front pocket of my jacket so they will keep releasing a fresh aroma… Needless to say, the Embroidery in the region of Isparta reflects the love and adoration of the people for the Damascena Rose! Ah, Damascena Rose… the “Queen of flowers”…

Say your words

06/20/2009

Hi! Welcome to my web-blog! I will be dedicating this blog to the wonderful crafts of Turkey as I recently visited this exotic and enchanting country which is a mixture of the old and new, the East and the West and it is a country that straddles between Europe and Asia. Words are insufficient to express fully the beauty of Turkey. You will have to make a trip there one day to believe what I have shared and truly experience the country.

A visit to Turkey really opens up my eyes to the range of crafts the people of Turkey can do. Most women are capable of doing wonderful embroidery ranging from towels, to tablecloths, to cover sofa cushions and TV racks. I was absolutely amazed by their ingenuity, their ability to sew from their minds and imagination. They sew and knit diligently, not complaining. Whenever they get some time to rest from their daily labour, they will sit down, enjoy a cuppa (be it Turkish Tea, or coffee) and start knitting with their hands. The motifs range from cherries, grapes, fruit baskets to roses, tulips and hearts. Certainly, the designs remind you of the lovely country of Turkey and all the wonderful produce of that abundant land! You mention anything to the ladies, they can come up with the designs almost instantly. They are a very hardworking lot, never keeping still till almost 12 am at midnight, all for the sake of their families…Their hands are wrinkled from the toil, never complaining and forever appearing cheerful… I acquired a few pieces of embroidery to keep at home as they brought me a feeling of comfort and peace as I set my eyes upon them…

Pictures can say a thousand words... I have uploaded a few images of the embroidery work I brought back from Turkey... Take your time to enjoy and appreciate their beauty...